McIlrath & Eck LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG)

McIlrath & Eck LLC lowered its holdings in The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENSG) by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 712 shares of the company’s stock after selling 164 shares during the quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC’s holdings in The Ensign Group were worth $102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ENSG. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in The Ensign Group by 115.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 284 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of The Ensign Group in the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Ensign Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in The Ensign Group during the third quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in The Ensign Group by 30.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on ENSG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $167.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of The Ensign Group from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of The Ensign Group from $163.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of The Ensign Group from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on The Ensign Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $164.33.

Insider Activity

In other The Ensign Group news, CEO Barry Port sold 2,000 shares of The Ensign Group stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total transaction of $310,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,325,980. The trade was a 3.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

The Ensign Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ENSG opened at $143.31 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.21 billion, a PE ratio of 34.70, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.92. The Ensign Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $106.36 and a 12-month high of $158.45. The business has a 50 day moving average of $147.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

The Ensign Group (NASDAQ:ENSG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.01. The Ensign Group had a net margin of 5.84% and a return on equity of 17.21%. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that The Ensign Group, Inc. will post 5.02 EPS for the current year.

The Ensign Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. The Ensign Group’s payout ratio is currently 5.81%.

The Ensign Group Company Profile

The Ensign Group, Inc provides skilled nursing, senior living, and rehabilitative services. It operates through two segments: Skilled Services and Standard Bearer. The company's Skilled Services segment engages in the operation of skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation therapy services for patients with chronic conditions, prolonged illness, and the elderly; and offers nursing facilities including specialty care, such as on-site dialysis, ventilator care, cardiac, and pulmonary management, as well as standard services comprising room and board, special nutritional programs, social services, recreational activities, entertainment, and other services.